


i'm safe, i'm safe, i'm safe

by itstheirdestiny



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Drowning, F/M, Gen, Percabeth if you squint, Percy-centric, Post-Series, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:16:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5890666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itstheirdestiny/pseuds/itstheirdestiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He dry heaved, water slithering up his body, through his insides, squeezing his heart and constricting his lungs. It dripped from his mouth, pouring onto the floor underneath him as his body convulsed.</p><p>or the one where I do a character study on how going through Tartarus (and other events through the series) might have affected Percy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm safe, i'm safe, i'm safe

**Author's Note:**

> Thought I'd do a character study on Percy, because I really liked the idea of him being afraid of water throughout Heroes of Olympus. Trigger warning for angst, PTSD, and drowning.

He woke up abruptly, gasping and eyes flying open. He clutched the blanket covering him in shaking hands, curling his fingers into fists. His shirt clung to his skin uncomfortably, his black hair damp against his forehead. Shutting his eyes briefly, he thought to himself, _I’m safe. I’m at camp. I’m safe, I’m safe, I’m safe._

His lungs filled with water, unable to take a breath, oxygen being cut off too suddenly. He opened his blue-green eyes quickly, twisting his body until his bare feet were resting against the floor. He dropped his head into his trembling hands, inhaling deep gulps of air, hungry for it.

The sun peeked out from outside his window and he wiped the cooling sweat off of his red cheeks, breath catching in his throat. He could still taste salt on his tongue.

He stood up on wobbly knees and made his way slowly to the other side of the room, away from the wet bed, the constricting covers, trapping him in an endless loop of helplessness. He splayed his hand against the dry wall, exhaling in relief. He slowly pressed his entire body against it, turning his body until his back was pressed against the corner, and slid down until he was seated on the hard floor.

 

* * *

 

 

“Percy!” a voice called.

The boy turned, relaxing his face and easing a smile onto his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Jason jogged over to his side, radiating warmth and shining bright. He was panting, having just returned from a sparring session with someone from the Aries cabin. Percy’s throat constricted at the sight of the sweat dripping down the boy’s face, aware of every trail of salty wetness as his friend spoke to him.

He must’ve been obvious about his dazing, for Jason clapped a hand around his shoulder and cast a concerned look his way.

“Hey,” he said softly, curling his fingers into the junction of Percy’s shoulder. “You okay, man?”

His mouth dried, the clamminess of Jason’s hand scorching his skin beneath his orange camp t-shirt. Percy couldn’t help the flinching of his entire body, writhing to get away from the grasp. Jason was taken aback, staring at him worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Percy strained, smiling a little wider. “Just not feeling so great today.”

Before Jason could say another word, Leo bounded up to them, enrapturing their attention in a conversation. Percy tried to focus, he really did, but he was hyperaware of his parched mouth, the salt stuck in his throat, and the burning in his shoulder where his shirt was sticky with Jason’s sweat.

He excused himself quietly a few minutes into the conversation, both boys nodding in his direction as they continued their conversation. He waved widely as he left, chuckling a little as he left. Once he’d turned away, the smile fell from his face and contorted into a grimace, his heart pounding wildly against his chest. He sped through the grounds, aiming for the Poseidon cabin, his breaths coming quicker and quicker.

Percy burst through the door, slamming it shut behind him and falling to his knees, scraping his palms against the wooden floor. Water filled his mouth, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t—

“Breathe,” a voice whispered, holding him tightly around the shoulders. A sob wrenched its way out of his chest, his lungs protesting the lack of oxygen, and he couldn’t, he just couldn’t breathe in any air—

He fought against the embrace, his skin overheating and his fingers clawing at cloth, he needed to get out of the water, he needed—

“It’s okay,” the voice said shakily into his hair. “You’re safe, you’re safe—”

 _I’m safe,_ Percy thought vehemently. He screwed his eyes shut and took a shuddering breath, pushing through the water filling his insides, forcing his head over the surface and—

And he could breathe again.

He choked in a shaky gasp of much-needed air, his body collapsing against another, softer one. His face was pushed into a chest and arms were wrapped around him, completely dry, completely safe. He kept his eyes shut, falling wholly onto the body pressed against his, gripping her shirt in fistfuls of quivering hands. He sobbed unabashedly into the shirt, his cheeks smoldering where his own salty tears drenched his face. Her arms around him tightened, her own small hands gathering up cloth as they gripped the back of his shirt. She pressed her mouth into the top of his head, turning so her cheek rubbed against his hair.

Percy turned away briskly, jolting himself out of her embrace and swiveling to face away, crouched on hands and knees. He dry heaved, water slithering up his body, through his insides, squeezing his heart and constricting his lungs. It dripped from his mouth, pouring onto the floor underneath him as his body convulsed.

Annabeth’s arms circled around him once more from behind, smoothing his hair off of his soaking forehead. He blinked his sea colored eyes repeatedly, the water surrounding him dissipating quickly. Her mouth was pressed against his ear, repeating a mantra.

_You’re safe._

_I’m safe. I’m safe, I’m safe._

Percy wheezed in a shaking breath, relieved that it was only oxygen that made its way into his lungs. He relaxed against her arms minutely; Annabeth shifted over until she was at his side and he fell against her, resting his head against her warm, dry neck. He breathed in sharply, lifting his damp hand to grip her own dry one, tangling their fingers together. She didn’t speak, only wrapped her arms around him as they sat together silently, Percy catching his breath fervently, his eyes wide open to reassure himself of the dry room.

For now, he was safe.

He couldn’t muster up a smile onto his face, but he let Annabeth’s pounding heart and warm arms lull him into security. He let out another shaky breath, refusing to close his eyes no matter how comfortably he laid against her side and half on her lap.

 _I’m safe_.


End file.
